Musical Theatre star Zoe Birkett will host this year’s UK Theatre Awards, set to take place on Sunday 8 October at London’s Guildhall. The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to honour and celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by UK Theatre members.

Zoe has built an impressive career as an actress and singer and is currently in rehearsals for The Witches at the National Theatre, playing the role of Pippa. She has built a stellar reputation and garnered an array of rave reviews for her performances in an abundance of hit West End shows, including The Great British Bake Off Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, Hair, Rent and Tommy, as well as originating the female lead in in Thriller Live. Zoe has just finished starring as Rachael Marron in The Bodyguard UK Tour, and in 2022 she won the BroadwayWorld UK / West End award for ‘Best Supporting Performer in a Musical’ for her portrayal of ‘Arabia’ in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

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The initial findings of the first ever UK Musicians’ Census are being released to the public for the first time today. The results are based on detailed information provided by nearly 6,000 UK musicians, making it the largest ever survey of its kind.

The first report provides a detailed insight into the demographic makeup of UK musicians, the barriers to career progression and economic challenges.

Earnings

The first Musicians’ Census found that 70% of professional musicians in the UK hold a degree or higher (50% have a music degree specifically), and 65% have been earning musicians for over 10 years.

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Scala Radio presenter Penny Smith and acclaimed tenor Alfie Boe have been announced as the hosts of Scala Radio Presents: Classics at Christmas. Presented by Scala Radio, this festive feast of Christmas classics and classical bangers performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will be taking place once again at The London Palladium on Sunday November 26th at 3pm.

As well as hosting with Penny, Alfie will also be performing on the famous London Palladium stage, for an unforgettable afternoon of live music. Further Scala Radio friends and family will also be joining the line-up and will be announced soon.

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The 2023 Edinburgh International Festival has ended on a high, after 24 packed days of events from 2,500 remarkable and diverse artists representing 50 nations.

The programme was characterised by a high quality of art, presenting work from 130 Grammy nominated artists, 33 Grammy Award-winners, 14 Brit Award-winners, 6 Olivier Award-winners and 3 Venice Golden Lions awards. Artists also attracted significant worldwide media attention and positive reviews, with two-thirds of International Festival performances receiving four and five-star reviews.

With an unprecedented emphasis on a deepened audience experience, the 2023 International Festival reimagined how we interact with and appreciate live performance, through audio introductions, contextual demonstrations and discussions before and during performances, and bringing audiences and artists closer together through more informal, intimate performance environments.

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London Theatre Week, the highly anticipated performing arts celebration spotlighting dynamic musicals and award-winning plays in London’s West End, is extending until 10 September.

Locals and tourists alike will have the chance to beat those back-to-school blues by experiencing a wide-range of productions with reasonable tickets from £15, £25, or £35. Now in its fifth year, London Theatre Week is proud to have grown to a world-renowned initiative, meaningfully increasing accessibility to the performing arts since its inception. Having started with just 37 participating shows in its inaugural year, London Theatre Week has seen over 140 shows participate, performing across 85 local theatre venues, and has sold over 1 million tickets to audience members. Both new shows like Back to the Future and beloved classics like The Phantom of the Opera have taken part, bringing joy to audiences seeing high-calibre productions on offer in London’s glittering West End for a fraction of the cost.

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The Rolling Stones come roaring out of the traps today with the release of their rocking single Angry. It arrives alongside the announcement of their hugely anticipated new album, titled Hackney Diamonds and released on October 20th. The exciting news was shared today by Mick, Keith and Ronnie at a special media launch event at the historic Hackney Empire, East London’s epicentre of pioneering art for almost 125 years. The launch was hosted by American tv star Jimmy Fallon and streamed worldwide via YouTube.

The 12-track album, for which full track list information will be revealed in due course, was recorded in various locations around the world, including Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles; Metropolis Studios, London; Sanctuary Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Electric Lady Studios, New York; and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios, also in New York.

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Courtesy of Laura Aziz.

The Royal Opera House is offering a new tour celebrating the architecture that makes its theatre iconic. Highlighting how the Royal Opera House successfully blends Victorian and contemporary design, this tour offers an exciting insight into this unique performance space.

Courtesy of Sim Canetty-Clarke.

Perfect for theatre and architecture lovers, this hour-long tour begins from Wednesday 6 September 2023. Experienced guides will take visitors to some of the theatre’s most exciting features, including the Amphitheatre, Linbury Theatre, Paul Hamlyn Hall and the stunning Bridge of Aspiration. The inspiration, ambition and design of each space will be explained by Royal Opera House guides, giving visitors a better understanding of why the venue is world-famous

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The Royal Opera House is delighted to be featured as part of this year’s Open House Festival. Taking place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September 2023, the festival celebrates the greatest architecture across London. The Royal Opera House will be open from 10 am across the Open House Festival weekend and we encourage everyone to explore the public spaces of our iconic venue.

As part of the festival, we’ll be offering a series of free tours of the Royal Opera House. Led by our expert guides, these tours will showcase the incredible history of the theatre, focusing on how the Royal Opera House has transformed from the 18^th century to now. Please note, this tour does not enter the backstage areas of the theatre.

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Courtesy of Peter Dibdin.

The 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe draws to a close today, Monday 28 August 2023, having brought together artists, arts industry, media and audiences from nearly 170 countries, with 2,445,609 tickets issued across the festival.

288 venues hosted a diverse selection of work from Scotland, the UK and the rest of the world, with 67 countries represented, and performance showcases from 17 countries. They were joined by nearly 500 of the world’s finest street performers, buskers and street artists, who brought vibrancy and joy to the Mound and Royal Mile as part of the Fringe street events.
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Returning for its eighth edition this year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Comedians’ Choice Awards 2023 – run by the British Comedy Guide, announce this year’s winners. Renowned for nominations being made solely by performers taking part in the festival, the awards are the only ones to do so – making the process that much more special and revered amongst comedy peers. The awards are broken down into three main categories – Best Show/Best Performer/ Best Best Person, with nominations whittled down to an eventual winner. Congratulations to all nominees and winners, continue reading to find out this year’s results.

Best Show

Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Performing at Monkey Barrel 4.

After being surprised on stage with the award, Masli said: “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha”.

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